The NBA has been thrown into turmoil following the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones over their alleged roles in extensive gambling conspiracies that federal authorities say shook the league’s integrity.
According to the FBI, Rozier and several unnamed associates are accused of supplying confidential player information to sports bettors. This intelligence reportedly included inside knowledge about injuries and game-time decisions—information that was allegedly used to place high-stakes wagers before the public became aware.
In one instance, investigators claim Rozier informed a co-conspirator that he would leave a game early due to injury. Bettors then placed over $200,000 in wagers tied to his expected in-game statistics. Rozier subsequently exited after nine minutes, citing a foot injury. The bets reportedly yielded “tens of thousands of dollars in profits,” and prosecutors allege Rozier later met one of the defendants at his home to count the winnings.
Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trail Blazers — March 24, 2023
Authorities also outlined suspicious betting patterns surrounding the Blazers’ 124–96 defeat to the Chicago Bulls. In that game, Portland benched key players including Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, and Anfernee Simons.
Prosecutors allege that defendant Eric Earnest received advance word from an unnamed “co-conspirator 8” that Portland planned to rest its top players as part of a “tanking” strategy to improve its draft position. Bettors, armed with that insider information, reportedly wagered over $100,000 against the Blazers—securing what investigators described as “major winnings.”
Court documents identify “co-conspirator 8” as a former NBA player active between 1997 and 2014, who later became an NBA coach in 2021—a timeline that mirrors Chauncey Billups’s career. Although the indictment links him to the Portland-related scheme, his arrest on Thursday reportedly stemmed from a separate investigation into mafia-backed, rigged poker games.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Los Angeles Lakers — February 9, 2023
Another case cited in the indictment involves a game in which the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115–106. Lakers star LeBron James missed that matchup and two subsequent games due to an ankle injury.
Before news of James’s injury became public, Damon Jones, who was serving as an unofficial assistant coach, allegedly texted an associate:
“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! (Player 3) is out tonight.”
The FBI said this early tip-off allowed gamblers to place large bets with guaranteed advantages, forming part of a broader network of illicit wagering activities now under federal scrutiny.
The NBA has yet to release an official statement regarding the arrests, but league sources confirm that internal reviews and cooperation with law enforcement are already underway.
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